The Promise
by Hattress and Hare
Summary: "This is Insane." They'd all said it at least once in the last few months, but there was no other way to describe the chaos around them. Sequel to Dark Wings. Genesis/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Hare:** Hey, everyone, welcome back. Guess what, we have the first chapter of part 2 here for you. Hattress couldn't be here with us today because she had some prior engagements. But I said August first, and damn it, I meant August first. So here's the first chapter. All of this takes place after Dirge of Cerberus. Now that ShinRa and Deep Ground have been defeated, everyone can get on with their lives ... we think.

**D/c: Hare:** I don't own a damn thing. Hattress has Aradia, Square Enix has the FFVII franchise. This time, though, the plot is all Hattress and I, so I guess I do get to claim something this time. Huh, how about that.

**Chapter 1**

* * *

It's been a year. A year since her escape from Deep Ground. A year since she was able to take out the restrictors with the help of her fellow Tsviets. A year since she learned that everyone she loved and cared about was dead. Just a year.

Aradia Maynard sighed as she looked up at the sky. It was raining again. That wasn't a bad thing, to be honest. They'd had such a dry summer that it was worth it if they could get the crops to grow. They'd been having to import from the Icicle, Corel, and Woodland Areas in order to get their produce. Aradia shook her head and ducked into Seventh Heaven, the bar where she'd gotten a job, smiling at Tifa as she made her way behind the bar. "Afternoon, Tifa." She said, happily.

Happy. She hadn't been truly happy since Modeoheim nearly ten years ago, but she was content. She wasn't living her life in the fog she had after Cloud had told her everything. The night on the cliff had been just the beginning. She sat out there for days watching as havoc was wrought within Edge because of the Tsviets. Cloud had come to her when it was all over and told her what had happened. It wasn't long after that Vincent Valentine had brought Shelke to see her. She could remember it with ease.

"_Ara." Shelke called as she walked over to the her. "You're okay."_

"_Shelke." Aradia murmured. "How are you still alive?" She rose from her seat and turned to face the young girl and the man that was with her. They were all that was left of a once great unit._

"_My sister. She was a member of the WRO. She'd been looking for me, Ara, just like I knew she was. Then Azul killed her."_

_Aradia's temper flared and she wanted to pull the girl into her arms to comfort her, even though she knew that Shelke wouldn't accept that. "I'm so sorry, Shelke. I should have been there."_

_Shelke shook her head. "No. You were right where you needed to be. You weren't right, and you would have been torn between your loyalty to us, and Cloud."_

"_I have no loyalty to Cloud." Aradia snarled. _

"_Yes you do." Shelke said. "He's all that you have left of Zack. He told me everything, Ara. Everything that happened when you were in SOLDIER. I know. I know about your relationship with Project G. Everything."_

_Aradia buried her face in her hand. "Oh, Shelke, what are we going to do? Your suit isn't going to last forever and my injection is coming up soon. I only have the three syringes that Weiss gave me when we parted ways."_

_Vincent cleared his throat. "I believe I can help you with that. If you're willing. The WRO is willing to help Shelke. I'm sure you'd be no exception." he told her in a flat monotone. _

_Aradia looked back at him before looking away. "You're the one that Cloud was talking about. The one that brought down Weiss and the others."_

_He nodded. "I didn't have a choice. They were wreaking havoc and going to destroy the world."_

"_Believe me, I know all about it." Aradia told him. "You know that that was never their intentions. Weiss became corrupted before we had completely relieved ourselves of the Restrictors."_

_Shelke looked up at her in shock. "You knew?"_

"_I'd known Weiss for a long time, Shelke." Aradia told her. "I just didn't know what had corrupted him. The plan was never to awaken Omega. We simply wanted out. You know that as well as I do. He had plans to set up a place where you all could live in peace, and I was going to find my way back to what I knew. I was going to find Zack. I was going to find something familiar."_

"_And then Hojo got hold of Weiss?" Vincent asked._

_Aradia nodded. "Yes. He started talking about power and reforming the world. Nero and I were the only ones that Weiss confided in. Rosso was too unstable. Shelke and Azul, were far too new to the organization."_

Vincent had filled her in on what Cloud hadn't known, and it became the longest interaction they had. You didn't see him often, if you were lucky, maybe once or twice a week. Shelke saw him more than anyone because he had taken it upon himself to take care of her, much as Aradia had. Aradia had done so because Shelke was like a little sister to her, and the only other remaining Tsviet. No one knew Vincent's motivations.

Aradia smiled to herself as she set up for the afternoon. She usually worked from six at night till two in the morning. Tifa, however, needed her to cover a longer shift tonight because Cloud and Tifa were taking the kids out of the evening. Aradia didn't mind.

Suddenly, Aradia found herself with twin missiles in her stomach. Denzel and Marlene. They had found out she was a friend of Cloud's and had taken an instant liking to her. They had heard about what she had done in the Wutai War, and had begun to hero-worship her. She smiled down at them. "Hey, kids."

"Dia, what are you doing here so early?" Marlene asked.

"I'm taking over the bar for Tifa tonight so that she can go with you." Aradia told her, smiling.

Denzel looked confused. "You're not coming with us to visit Aerith?"

Aradia shook her head. "I didn't know her, and I think it would be rude of me to intrude."

Denzel shook his head. "That's silly."

"True as that may be, she has her beliefs and we have ours." Cloud said, appearing at the bottom of the stairs. "Dia." he greeted.

"Hey, Cloud." Aradia greeted. He'd taken Zack's nickname for her. She was happy for it. It had been a long time since she'd heard that name. Most of them called her that now. The only times she heard the name Ara was when she was from Shelke or Vincent.

"Tifa, we're ready to go when you are." Cloud called.

Tifa smiled. "Alright. Thanks again for doing this, Dia."

"No problem." Aradia told them. "Go enjoy yourselves."

They left the bar and Aradia switched the sign to open. She knew that it was going to be a slow night. Mondays usually were. Tomorrow she had off. She would go spend about five hours in the WRO building before she made her way out to the cliff to see Zack. She went every time she had a day off. It didn't usually coincide with her injections, but this time, she couldn't help it. She needed to go. She needed the time by herself.

Aradia sat down on her usual stool and pulled out a much battered copy of Loveless.

_Aradia walked through the ruins of what was once the ShinRa's Midgar Outpost. She wanted her things, if she could find them among the wreckage. Cloud was waiting for her just outside what was now considered a contaminated area do to the amount of Mako in the air and ground. It didn't bother her. She lived on Mako. Cloud had offered to let her go into the pool to see if it would cure her of her dependency, but shed' declined. Her dependency wasn't like the Stigma. It wasn't a disease. It was a genetic alteration from all of the experiments that she had been under. _

_They didn't understand that. She looked around and saw a woman picking through the wreckage. She had mid back length silver hair, but Aradia paid her no mind._

_She walked into the dilapidated building and went straight to her old rooms. There, amidst the rubble, she found her old copy of Loveless. The one Angeal had given her when she'd expressed an interest in it after Genesis had lent her his copy. _

_She smiled and hugged it to her chest and turned, looking around more. In the corner, under what was left of her kitchen, stood a small planting pot. Inside it was a tiny sprout, hidden amongst the dead leaves and stems. She snatched it up too, recognizing it as the one that Sephiroth had given her, just to piss Genesis off. She laughed, remembering the reaction._

_Genesis had never given he a gift like these. Instead, he had trained her, left a piece of himself within her. He had instilled in her a love of the arts and a deep respect for friends and fighting. He'd left with her his SOLDIER pride, as Angeal would have called it, and his honor. She was, as Cloud was to Zack, his living legacy. _

_She took her two keepsakes and made her way out of the wreckage that was once her home. She held no love for this place. It had been the source of both the culmination of her misery and her happiness, though the latter was found in a person, rather than her profession as the former was._

_She set the plant in the window and watched every day as it flourished. How it survived so long, she would never know. She wasn't even sure why her things remained in her rooms._

_Until Cloud came to visit her._

"_I remember that plant." Cloud had told her. "Zack used to keep it in his room in the ShinRa building. He used to bitch because he had gotten the smallest room in the building before sighing and saying how much it reminded him of an old friend. You."_

"_That's because it was my room, Cloud." Aradia told him, smirking as she flipped through the battered pages of Loveless, reading the notes she and Genesis had made in the margins as they discussed it. "That explains how everything was still there, though."_

Aradia sighed as she heard the bell on the door ring, alerting her to a customer. She sat the book down and turned to face the man that hand entered. "Can I get you anything?" She asked in a polite tone.

He nodded. "Anything is fine."

Aradia nodded and reached for her personal favorite, the rum. She poured him a few fingers and smiled. "Anything to eat for you?"

"No thank you."

Aradia shrugged and turned to put the bottle away. She heard him pick up her book and laugh a little to himself. "Loveless, eh? I haven't seen that title in decades."

Aradia smiled. "It's a personal favorite of mine." She told him. "I've had that book since my days with ShinRa."

"Really? You were a SOLDIER?"

"For a few months anyway." Aradia told him she turned and leaned against the counter. "I was among the deserters." People didn't frown on the deserters anymore. After all the evil that ShinRa had done, people supported the deserters.

"Really?" the man asked. "And what happened to you? I heard that some of them were caught in the Modeoheim raid."

Aradia nodded. "I was one of them. I was sent into Deep Ground after that."

"You were a part of that massacre?" The man asked.

Aradia shook her head. "No. I left the Tsviets as well. I was looking for piece and quiet. What about you?"

He smiled. "I've been … away for a while now. I was just looking for a drink to celebrate my return to civilization. I guess I got more than I bargained for. A good drink and a pretty girl."

Aradia laughed. "Sorry, Hon, I'm off the market. I have been for a long time."

"It's a damn shame, but whoever he is, he's a lucky lucky man." The man finished his drink and handed her the glass. "How about another one?"

Aradia nodded and poured him another drink. "So what have you been doing since you left society?" She asked. She turned away to pour herself a glass and heard a gun click behind her.

"Hunting down traitorous scum like you." the man snarled. "Turn around. Slowly."

Aradia did as told and took a slow sip of her drink. "You know, it's assholes like you that make me lose money." She told him. "Because I end up causing damage and getting the repairs docked from my pay. Not that Tifa minds, of course. She likes watching me beat the shit out of you people."

"What people would that be?" he asked.

"Former ShinRa dogs that don't realize that they've lost." Aradia murmured casually, taking another swallow of her drink. She still wore long sleeves for a reason. She swore a year ago she would never leave home without her babies. Argento had fashioned them for her, and she refused to let them go to waste. Her arm blades were her pride and joy. "If you think you can win," She murmured huskily, setting her glass down and locking the fingers on the opposite hands into the triggers of her blade, "Then by all means, fire a shot. If not, pay your tab and turn around and walk out that door. Remember, you infantry bastard, I was a Tsviet, not a foot soldier."

"It doesn't make a difference." The man said, closing his finger around the trigger. The shot fired and Aradia blocked it with her blade. The bullet ricocheted away and imbedded itself in the wall, indiscernible amidst the other bullet holes.

"Are you sure about that?" Aradia asked, looking behind him. Shelke was standing there with her sabers. She must have slipped in when the gun fired. Vincent was standing in front of the door. "Why don't you turn around?"

The man glanced behind him and jumped as Shelke aimed on of her sabers at him. He spun away from both of them as Aradia drew her other blade. Most Tsviets used dual wielding. The only ones that didn't were Argento and Azul, and even Azul had his huge canon.

"Are you messing with my sister for a reason?" Shelke asked, tilting her head to the side. "Or are you just stupid?" her voice fell flat with the last word.

"Deserter scum." the man snarled, firing at both of them. Shelke rolled her eyes as they blocked. Aradia sighed and blocked the bullet aimed at Shelke's head.

"Do you want him, Shelke?" Aradia asked. "The blades make such a mess."

Shelke smiled and stabbed him through the throat. Her Sabers were electromagnetic and cauterized the wound as she made it. She had to actually stab you with them in order to kill you.

Aradia released her triggers and let her blades slide into hiding again. She kicked the man and sighed. "Great, now I have to get rid of him. The WRO isn't going to like this."

Shelke shrugged. "It was him or us. Personally, I don't understand why the loyalists are acting like they do."

"I do." Aradia sighed. She hauled the man up over her shoulder and carried him out the dumpster out back. She walked back inside and washed her hands before grabbing the bag she had stashed behind the counter with shirts in it. "So, what can I do for you guys?"

"Nothing much," Shelke called as Aradia walked into the back room and pulled on a leather tank top that zipped up the front. Her blades were out in the open. She was done fucking with people. "Can I get a beer."

"You're only 20, Shelke." Aradia said, sliding her a soda. She slid the beer in her hand to Vincent and picked up her own glass. "I don't know why I keep attracting those idiots."

"Quit telling your story so openly." Shelke said. "People either hate or love ShinRa. We don't need them to know what we are, either way."

Aradia sighed. "Right. Have you been to the WRO today?"

Shelke nodded. "Of course. They're setting up for you for tomorrow. They've been so busy that it should be a quick in and out."

"Four hours is not quick." Aradia told her. "Fuck, it usually takes five, just because of the waiting time."

Shelke laughed. "Then it should only be four hours tomorrow."

Aradia nodded. "I'm going up to the cliff tomorrow, when I'm done. I need to get out of this damned town and I'd love to be somewhere I didn't have to clean up my mess if someone attacks me."

"I'm surprised your blades have held up as well as they have." Shelke told her. "It's been a year, and then how long before that. On top of near constant use. You remember how Rosso was with weapons."

Aradia snorted. "That's because she never cleaned them."

Shelke nodded. "True."

Aradia glanced at Vincent. He never said much. When he did, it was usually pretty insightful and vague at the same time. Shelke muttered something under her breath and slid off the barstool, leaving Aradia and Vincent in a comfortable silence. They didn't talk. The most they had ever talked was when he was filling her in on what happened with the Tsviets. Normally, they didn't even greet each other. He wandered in with Shelke whenever she went to get him from the Crystal Cave, which is where he was usually lurking. Cloud often called him a Hobo Vampire, or something to that effect.

Aradia sighed as she leaned on the counter. Life was uneventful now. Since the fall of ShinRa and the Tsviets, all she got was a random loyalist with a grudge. Not that she minded, of course. It was peaceful, and she didn't have to worry about whether or not she was going to be destroyed.

Shelke came back and slid into her seat. She looked Aradia over. She looked tired, more so than usual when it came to her injection. She was wearing herself thin because of her loneliness. She needed to get over Project G and move on with her life. Of course, she wouldn't, and that made Shelke worry.

"I've been hearing some funny rumors." Shelke said quietly, as she stared into her drink. "About a woman with silver hair terrorizing little kids and trying to get them to follow her in some odd cult."

"What else is new?" Aradia sighed. "People are crazy these days."

Shelke nodded and glanced at Vincent. "True, but I think there might be something behind it. It might be worth looking into. A little excitement."

Aradia shook her head. "Nope. Shelke, it's the WRO's job, not ours. We're retired, remember?"

Shelke nodded and finished her drink. "Well, I've got things to do. Some of the Scientists want to do some work with the SND."

"Have fun with that. I can't believe you volunteered." Aradia told her.

Shelke shrugged. "Might as well do something."

"I hear you. Later."

"Bye."

Aradia watched as Vincent waved and followed Shelke out. Why he escorted her everywhere when she drug him out of the cave, she would never know, but he followed her around faithfully, as far as she knew. At least, she never saw him without Shelke at his side.

Aradia shook her head as customers started to trickle in. It would be a long fucking night.

* * *

A/n: Hare: Review and tell us what you think. You know you want to. I'll beg if I have to. We've got a whole new adventure in store and will be thrilled if you decide to take it with us.

The Hattress and her Faithful Hare

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubtably so." - Douglas Adams


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n:Hare:** Look, we actually updated. Between hell (school), life, and random other problems i ran into, we've been having some trouble getting this chapter out. Sorry for the long wait.

**Hatteress:** So all those combined with the fact that both of us kinda fell out of the fandom for a while things weren't getting anywhere. But here we are, a few months later, with an update. We're not going to abandon this fic. On another note I'd like to mention that I have actually written this with Hare, I have taken over most of the male characters. Characterization and detail is my strong point you see. Hare, anything else to add?

**Hare:** *sigh* Yeah, you read that right, foks. Hattress has actually taken an active role in the writing of our lovely fic. Do enjoy, and be sure to drop us a review to tell us what you think.

**D/c:Hare:** I'm not sure who owns what anymore. I know that the FFVII idea and world itself belongs to Square Enix. The plot for this particular story belongs to Hattress, but outside of that, I'm really not sure anymore.

Chapter 2

* * *

Aradia frowned as she made her way through the city. She was still feeling the effects of her earlier injection and to top it all off, it was raining. Again.

She moved quickly through the city. She could feel eyes following her as she went. She didn't like it. She didn't know if it was just her being paranoid or if she was being followed. It didn't make any sense. Her fingers were constantly ready to lock into her triggers. She didn't understand why her instincts were so high strung, but she couldn't shake the feeling.

She arrived at her apartment and locked the door behind her. She immediately grabbed a towel and moved into the bathroom for a shower. It had been a long day, and it promised to be an even longer night.

* * *

Sharp eyes watched unblinkingly as the dark-haired woman made her way down the streets of Edge. He could tell it was her even if her raven hair was shorter now. He noted that she had filled out a bit over the years and her face mature but by no means flawed by age. He supposed that it was an effect of the Mako that flowed through her body because it was the same for himself. The substance slowed aging to nearly a standstill.

The man lifted a gloved hand and brushed dripping wet strands of hair out of his face and turned those eyes to his companion, "She's still beautiful, isn't she?" he asked, standing up from his crouch as the woman vanished into her apartment. His lips lifted into a wistful smile.

The man standing next to him nodded, "I didn't think she wouldn't be, after all it's only been a year since I saw her."

The first man's smile dropped into a half-snarl, "Well, you could have showed her back to me but you didn't."

The companion held up his hands in an apologizing manner, not willing to piss off the other. "I'm sorry, I know now I should have."

"Yes, you should have but this is why I kept you around, because I needed your help finding her." The first's voice turned cool and matter-of-fact as he turned away from the ledge, "I'm not going to let more years pass before I talk to her again, you may come if you choose to."

With that he vanished off the roof, leaving his companion alone to think about what to do.

* * *

The thunder rocketing outside startled Aradia out of her rather entertaining thoughts about how to maim the Director of the WRO. She was well versed in torture and the like. It was standard training for those in Deep Ground, and he'd pissed her off pretty well today. They wanted her to start working for them as an Anti-ShinRa operative. She just wanted a normal life. And everyone was all worked up about this woman that was attacking children.

Aradia sighed as she got ready to take her shower for the evening. As much as she loved her job at Seventh Heaven, she hated coming home smelling like stale Liquor.

She went through her nightly routine and finally settled into her favorite chair with her much battered copy of Loveless. She ran her fingers over the cover and her mind drifted to her days with Genesis.

Her favorite time in her life was training with him. He had been relentless and single minded in his pursuit of her advancement, and she'd learned more from him than she had in all her years in Deep Ground, but she'd learned more than a few fighting techniques. She'd learned what it was like to make friends, feel emotions, and be human, even though she was so much less than that.

She missed him. Especially on days like this when she was alone. She knew that the others would judge her choice. They thought that she was foolish to live in the past as she did, but it was her desire for a normal life that prompted this. She had been happy in those few months that she was with Genesis. She used that happiness to keep her going now.

She sighed and put the book down on the table again. She didn't have it in her to read at the moment. She moved to stand in the window. She watched the mothers and children interact in the streets, the fathers coming home from a hard day's work. Perfect little families. Something she could never have.

As she moved to walk away, she saw a flash of white below her and braced her hands on the ledge. Few people she knew or had known had ever had hair as pure white as that. But it wasn't possible. He was dead. Vincent had confirmed his face himself. He'd fallen when Omega was destroyed.

Aradia shook her head and turned back towards her kitchen. She needed to get something to eat. She hadn't been taking the best care of herself and injections always took their toll on her stomach. She leaned against the counter with a tumbler of whiskey in her hand.

She knew that she needed to pull herself together. She had a long night at Seventh Heaven tomorrow. She had a feeling that it would be an extremely long night tonight as well. She kept odd hours, and sleep was often an elusive companion.

Aradia looked up from her glass as she heard a knock at the door. Who would be calling on her this late at night? Shelke was probably back at the WRO for her evening bath and Cloud knew that she didn't take visitors this late.

She walked towards the door and could hear shuffling outside. Who in the world…

She opened the door and stared into a pair of vibrant blue eyes. Aradia stumbled backwards as she took in the owner of those eyes. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. He was dead. They had told her that he was dead. She'd watched him fall with her own eyes.

"Aradia." He greeted solemnly, staring down at the dark-haired woman and watching as several expressions passed over her face. He felt old emotions rise in his chest the longer he was in her presence even stronger then they had been when he had watched her from a distance. He didn't blame her for the disbelief, after all he was, for all intents and purposes, dead. He had been marked so for years and it didn't change now. Shinra was gone but the world still didn't know of his existence.

He gave Aradia a small smile, "May I come in?"

Aradia just stared. Her mind was on a loop of the memories and the impossibility of the whole situation.

Aradia scrambled to her feet. "How …. What …. This isn't possible …"

He shouldn't be there. He was dead. Ten years, she'd been without him. Ten years she'd suffered because he had thrown himself over the edge of that platform. He'd swore to return, but she'd lost hope.

Genesis had returned to her.

Aradia's eyes widened further as another man appeared behind him. His white hair stood at all angles and hung down his back. He looked the same as when they'd parted ways after their escape.

This wasn't possible. Genesis and Weiss couldn't be here. They were both supposed to be dead.

"Ara." Weiss murmured. "I think you've sent her into shock, Genesis."

"It appears to be that way. Perhaps we should enter on our own." Genesis replied tilting his head. He moved past the doorway and past Aradia before going to the worn couch in the living room and sitting down with a cat like grace.

"I'm sorry for the sudden appearance, Aradia but time is moving and things are beginning to set into motion." Genesis continued, "I know that seeing us…alive is quite a shock but please let both of us explain."

Aradia watched them move towards her furniture. Her mind was still stuck in the loop. Until she heard the water dripping onto her floor from the hems of their coats. That small sound snapped her out of her daze and she took them in fully. Neither of them had changed much since the last time she'd seen them. Genesis had grown his hair out, but that was all.

She shook her head vigorously. "First things first. Get your asses off of my fucking couch. NOW!" She snarled. "I worked hart to keep this furniture in good condition. I'm not going to have you ruin it by getting it wet and causing it to mold."

Both males reacted instantly to her raised voice. They jumped up from her couch and stood stock still. It was quiet for a moment before Genesis let out a laugh, "Well, Dia, it's good to see you haven't lost your hellcat temper. I must ask though, where should we sit then?"

Aradia snorted and spun on her heel. She went into the spare bedroom and dug around in the dresser for a moment before walking back into the living room holding two sets of men's sweatpants and tank tops. "Change." She snapped, tossing them the clothes.

Genesis shrugged and with a hint of a smirk replied, "As you request."

He found the bathroom and changed into the borrowed clothing quickly and held out his wet things. He saw that Weiss had changed as well, most likely in her room. Of course, the child wasn't wearing a shirt. Couldn't even cover up for a moment, could he?

Genesis moved back to the couch and sat down, smirking at Aradia, "Now, what would you like to know?"

Aradia glared at him as she curled up in her favorite chair, feeling very much like a vulnerable child. "Lets start with how the hell you're alive. I watched you jump, Genesis Rhapsodos. You threw yourself off that ledge in Modeoheim. Vincent told me that Weiss was dead after Omega was ended. Explain to me how the hell the two men that mean the most to me in the world are sitting in my living room when all signs point to their death." She was in hysterics. She'd spent to much time around normal people. She was starting to act like them. In this instance, she was sure it was justified. "You know what hold off on that for a moment. I need a fucking drink." she looked them over. They both looked a little worse for wear. "You guys want one?"

Genesis shook his head, "I'm fine for now."

"I'll have some, Ara." Weiss replied, sending an smug look at Genesis, who rolled his eyes dramatically. "What, I've been wandering around in the rain with you all day. I deserve something for my trouble."

Aradia rolled her eyes as well and wandered off in search of her alcohol. At least that feeling about it being a long fucking night had been spot on. She groaned as she poured herself and Weiss, Weiss of all people, a glass of the good stuff and then carried both glasses and the bottle back into the living room. She sat down in her chair and clutched her drink like a lifeline. Even while her body language was erratic and out of character, her voice was steady.

"Talk." She demanded. She wanted answers. She wasn't just going to let the two best things that had ever happened to her, both of whom had ended up being taken from her, walk back into her life without an explanation. Not after all the pain they had caused her.

"I told you I would return, Aradia." Genesis said. "That fall didn't kill me. I did survive Modeoheim. I went in search of the Jenova Cells in an attempt to stop my degradation."

"You left me behind to rot." Aradia murmured, swallowing the contents of her glass. "You left me to be taken back to ShinRa."

"I thought you would follow me." Genesis told her. "I would have caught you."

"I didn't have the chance." Aradia growled. "Zack grabbed me. Move on."

Genesis sighed. "I ended up in Nibelheim, searching for Sephiroth. He was born with Jenova Cells. I thought I could use him. I thought that he might be able to help me end my decay, but he refused, after I told him the truth about his origins."

"You made him go insane." Aradia snapped. "Which led to his death."

Genesis' relatively calm expression faltered and was replaced by one of regret, blue eyes flickering down to look at the ground, "I know. I wasn't in my right mind when I drove him over the edge and I wish, for all its worth, that I could change what happened that day."

That was the truth. Sephiroth had been like a brother to him since Genesis had joined SOLDIER, putting up with all the melodramatic crap he threw out. He also felt the same way about Angeal. He had lead him astray too and in the end he had lost both of them.

What hurt the most, however, about his selfishness was that Aradia had suffered for it. The woman who had stuck by his side through some of the darkest days he had ever experienced.

"I also want to apologize to you, Aradia, for everything…"

"You're damn right you should be apologizing." Aradia snarled, getting to her feet. "Do you have any idea what I've gone through because you left me in Modeoheim and didn't come after me? The sent me back in to Deep Ground, Genesis. DEEP GROUND! Do you have a notion in your thick skull about what that did to me? Weiss will tell you, it wasn't a warm fucking welcome."

Genesis rose up from his seat too and stood in front of the raging woman, showing off full height. He looked down at her, eyes narrowed, "Aradia, its not my fault I didn't come back! I tried to, I did. But things weren't going well and…"

He took a deep breath, trying to cool his temper. She had every right to be pissed at him. "Look, Dia, its difficult to explain. I was saved by the Goddess at the end. I have a mission again, my mind is my own and I swear I will explain everything at some point but right now there's too much to take in."

Weiss decided to stay out of the spat between the two lovers, watching quietly from his seat. He played with the idea of explaining to Aradia where Genesis had been until a year ago.

Aradia growled. She wasn't going to let him get away with dodging her questions. Not after everything she'd been through. Not with the fact that his and Weiss' return could jeopardize everything that she had built in the last year.

"Don't give me that garbage, Genesis." Aradia snarled. "You're going to explain everything. Now. I've worked too goddamn hard to put my life back together. I lost EVERYTHING when they put me back in the lab. Every ounce of progress I'd made with you and the others to become somewhat normal again. All of the friends I'd made. When we finally overcame the Restrictors and finally escaped Deep Ground, I come out to find out that the only one that I knew I had left and been killed by those bastards at ShinRa. I was alone. Shelke was all I had left. You are NOT going to stand there and tell me that this is too much to take in. Not after what I've gone through. Start talking, Genesis. And don't stop until you're done."

It fell quiet for a few minutes as Genesis and Weiss stared at Aradia after her outburst before, finally with hesitance, Genesis sat back down on the couch and patted the open spot next to him for her to sit.

"Here, sit down and I'll tell you everything. It's a long story."

"I'll remain where I am, thanks." Aradia snapped. "You're patronizing me, Genesis. Stop. Tell me the truth. Tell me what happened. Tell me why you never came back. Tell me why suddenly, after ten years, you came back." She sank back into her chair and threw back what was left in her glass before reaching for the bottle to refill. It was times like this that she wished she had never left Deep Ground. At least there, she knew where she stood.

She reached for the pack of cigarettes and lighter on the window sill next to her chair. She lit one and turned her eyes to Genesis, expectant.

Genesis took a deep breath and launched into his tale. He told her about everything, sparing no detail. From Modeoheim to Nibelheim to Banora. He spoke almost reverently about his contact with the Goddess. His greatest dream had been realized. He rewrote the tale of Loveless. He reached out, as he spoke about it, and traced his fingers over her battered copy, caressing the cover with the touch of a lover.

"Zack and Cloud left, and I slipped out of consciousness." Genesis told her. "In a manner, I had fulfilled my dream to share a Banora White with Sephiroth. Zack carried Jenova cells. He had taken the role of the Hero." He took a deep breath. This was the hard part. The part that she would hate him for. "I when I regained consciousness, I was on a gurney. And …" He stopped and rested his face in his hands.

"And?" Aradia asked.

"And I was sitting next to him." Weiss told her, finally breaking into the conversation.

Aradia froze. She moved stiffly to place her glass on the table. It shattered before she got that far. She rose from her seat, taking a hit from her cigarette. She didn't say a word, but moved to walk out of the room.

"Ara?" Weiss called after her, rising to follow.

"Don't follow me." Aradia snarled.

"Aradia!" Genesis shouted, ignoring her warning and following her anyhow. His blue eyes were flashing dangerously and he grabbed her arms, turning her around to look at him, "I told you everything. I had no idea you were there. I promise you I would have gone to you if I had known."

She glared at him. "Don't presume to know why I walked off." She jerked her arm away from him. She crossed her arms around her stomach and moved one hand to rest against her forehead. "When did you come through? Just tell me that much."

Genesis hung his head and crossed his arms as well. "It had to be roughly 14 years ago. I don't know the exact years. I lost track of time there for a while."

Aradia ran her fingers through her short, silky hair. She shook her head and breezed past him. "Weiss, don't think you're off the hook. When did you bring him in?"

Weiss looked up from his tumbler. His face fell when he saw the state that Aradia was in. The information she was gaining was starting to wear her down. It was beginning to be too much. But he'd known her for eighteen years. He knew that she wouldn't stop until she had the information she wanted. She had always been the most ruthless in torture, after Rosso.

"It was about three months after you were locked in your room." Weiss told her softly. "It was why everyone was so excited."

Aradia's hand few from her hair to her mouth. "Oh, Goddess. Oh, Goddess." She had tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall. She could have seen him. She could have known. Shelke had told her that the guest that day would have been brought to see her if she'd behaved herself. It had been Genesis. They had been bringing Genesis in. She could have seen him.

Genesis caught her as she nearly fell. "Dia! Dia, talk to me." He pleaded.

"I could have seen you then." Aradia murmured, clutching his shirt. "I thought you were dead. I thought that I had lost everything and that I would be in that hellhole forever. I wanted to die. I told them to kill me. They used the others to hold me down so they could give me my injections." She was crying now. "I could have seen you, if I'd only cooperated with Shelke that day. I could have known you were still alive."

Genesis held her against him. He looked over at Weiss and handed him the cigarette that Aradia had been holding. "Dia, please. Got to bed. This is too much. I haven't seen you like this since Wutai. You need rest."

Aradia pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Yeah. Bed." She ran her fingers through her hair again. "Um, there's the guest room. One of you will have to sleep on the couch. I, uh, have some linens …" It was all too much to take in. She should have taken it in stages. She should have known.

"Ara, we're grown men." Weiss said. "We can take care of ourselves. Get some sleep. You're dead on your feet."

Aradia nodded and rested her hand against her forehead. She turned towards her room and walked away.

"She's taking it hard." Genesis murmured.

"Of course she is." Weiss told him, moving to put things away. "You don't understand what she was like down there. She truly wanted to die. The only ones she cared about were the rest of us Tsviets, with the exception of Azul." He shook his head. "She would try baiting Rosso into a fight just because she knew that as soon as Rosso scented blood, she would go into a frenzy and try to kill her. Rosso refused. She wouldn't be the catalyst for Ara's death. Only Azul would fight her, and that was because the Restrictors demanded it. They had no choice. Aradia was smaller, faster, and better than Azul. She used those arm blades that she got from Argento, and she beat him and that canon of his every time."

Genesis sighed and sat down in her chair, placing his face in his hands. "I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me she was there. You had to have known. Deep Ground knew everything that happened within ShinRa."

"Because we were under explicit orders not to." Weiss told him. He looked over his shoulder. "By the way, when are you going to tell her why you came back?_ Either_ reason?"

* * *

**A/n:**** Hatteress:** Now to address a question that was asked by a reader in 'Dark Wings'; the origin of Aradia's name. I actually did a lot of digging around for a suitable name for my unfortunate Original Character and after a few name changes I settled on the one she has now. If you want to know, as this reader did, on our profile page is a link to the wiki page.

**Hare**: Just don't think worse of our poor Aradia after you've read it. It's not her fault her namesake was the daughter ofDiana and Lucifer. With that said, review. We love hearing from you.

"Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate." ~ Thomas Jones


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n:** Hare: I know, it's been forever. I'm sorry. That's what happens when you fall out of a fandom and you're not religiously dedicated to writing the same story anymore. I'll be doing better. Don't worry. I'm over it. For now.

Hattress: Yeah, it's been a bit hectic on her end for awhile what with her schooling and such. My excuse is that I just kinda fell out of it as well. As Hare said, we're back for now.

Hare: So we have chapter three ready for you. Just remember to review.

**D/c:** Hare: Alright folks, if you don't know it by now then you're never going to get it. Square Enix owns FFVII. Hattress owns everything else. I just write the story.

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_Confusion. Chaos. People running in fear as fire ravages the city. Fear. Disappointment. Failure. Foreign emotions. She hadn't felt them in years. _

_Shock. Camaraderie. Sadness. He couldn't possibly be back. He'd been dead. It had been described to her in detail, the chase that brought about his end. _

_She was supposed to be gone. Unable to harm another. The girl had seen to that. How was it possible that she had come back in this form. _

_Flashes of silver. Pain. A woman's delighted laughter. The ringing of a sword and a man's deep chuckle. _

"_You're as magnificent as I could have dreamed." She says, stroking his face. The faces are dark. Indistinguishable. But she knows them. She knows that deep laugh. Comrade. Brother in Arms. He'd turned. _

_Wrenching pain, tearing through her body. As if her body is being split in two. _

Aradia sat bolt upright in her bed, panting as sweat beaded on her forehead and ran down her neck and chest. She rested a hand on her forehead as she sat in her bed, trying to catch her breath.

What the hell had that been? Her dreams had never been that vivid before. She rested a hand on her side where the pain had been. She winced as the muscles contracted in protest to the contact. It had been so real.

She crawled out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants. She had a few hours before she needed to be at the WRO office, and she needed to get breakfast before she went. Maybe it would get her mind off of that insane dream.

She ran her hand through her hair and made her way into the kitchen, completely ignoring the occupants of her living room. She froze as soon as she saw that there was food, albeit takeout, on her counter. Turning slowly she poked her head back into the living room to find Genesis in her chair and Weiss sitting on her couch, both of them happily eating whatever breakfast they ordered.

Aradia ducked back into her kitchen and leaned against her counter, running her hand through her hair again. They were real. They had really shown up on her doorstep last night. The two most important men in her life. Genesis. Weiss. She shook her head and resisted the urge to reach for her bottle of Rum.

Genesis walked in with a small smile on his face. "Morning, Dia." He said.

"What the hell are you doing up so early?" Aradia asked. "You hate mornings."

Genesis shrugged. "I hated being forced to wake up, not waking up on my own. There's a difference."

"Of course." Aradia sighed. "Look, I don't know what I'm going to do with you two today. I have to go in for my injection here in a couple of hours, then I'm going out to the cliffs, I still have to figure out how I'm going to …"

Genesis cut her off with a finger to her lips as he set his plate on the counter. He shook his head with that half smile still in place, causing Aradia to want to smack if off for him. "Relax, Dia. We can figure all of that out when you get home tonight."

Aradia shook her head. "I'm not going to be home until late." She sighed. "Look, I still need to talk to you. Both of you. But not now. I need to leave. I have to be at the WRO this afternoon and I have things to do before hand."

Genesis nodded and lifted a hand to run it through her hair. "Why did you cut it?"

"Because it was getting in the way." Aradia muttered. "It's not practical, working in a bar."

Genesis nodded and moved just a little closer. "Dia …"

"Don't." She told him, resting her hands against his chest to stop his advance. "Just don't. I never stopped loving you, Genesis. I couldn't even if I tried. But I've spent ten years … Ten years without you. Too much has changed."

Genesis relented and moved away. "Fine." he reached out and rested a hand on her right cheek, caressing the tattoo that covered her eye. "Just remember what I told you before, Aradia. You will be mine. That hasn't changed because we've been separated."

Aradia leaned into his touch for just a second before looking up at him. "I have to go get ready. You and Weiss stay in the house until I get back tonight. Call me on my cell if anything happens."

Genesis nodded. "That will require the number, Dia."

Aradia shot him a glare before moving away from him and walking over to the phone. She wrote down her cell number on a scrap of paper and tacked it to the wall. "Don't call me unless someone is dying, Genesis. You know how I get with my injection."

Genesis nodded and Aradia went to her room to get ready for the, admittedly long, day ahead of her.

* * *

Aradia sighed as she pulled her borrowed motorcycle to a stop and looked over at where the Buster Sword was still planted in the ground, even after al these years. She smiled sadly and climbed off the bike and walked over. Kneeling, as she'd seen Angeal do so many times in her short time with him, she rested her forehead against the base of the blade itself for a moment before sitting back on her legs and folding her hands on top of her thighs.

"I don't have anything to bring you." She murmured. "Not that I ever do. At this point, it seems, it's a little redundant. Cloud and I are the only ones that ever come out here, and neither of us really feel worth of even that. Not after everything that's happened."

She sighed and moved to sit with her legs crossed in front of her. "I just don't know what to do anymore. There are so many problems going on all around us and … now Genesis and Weiss are back. I'm just so confused. Angeal, I really wish you were here to give me some advice. You seemed to be the only one of the three that had their head on right." She covered her face with her hand and leaned forward. Tears welled in her eyes but would never fall. "I just miss you both so much. I just wish that things were back to the way they were."

She leaned sideways, falling into a laying position, her arms wrapped around herself as she curled into a ball. It was the onslaught of emotion. So many buried feelings were welling to the surface and she could do nothing about it. She was so scared of what was coming that she could barely contain it. On top of that was her worry. If Genesis and Weiss had come back, what else was going to happen? More importantly, what did it all mean. They could all be in insane amounts of danger, and they had no idea what to expect.

Aradia sighed. It was only here, alone, on the cliffs that she could allow these emotions to show. The others couldn't see, and she didn't have to pretend that she was together.

"_Yah know, you could let them in a little."_

_Aradia sat up in shock, seeing Zack standing with one arm resting on the hilt of the Buster Sword, the other tucked into his pockets with a smile on his face._

"_Zack?" She asked, her eyes wide._

"_I'm not alone." Zack said, nodding towards the spot behind her. _

_She spun around to find another man smiling at her, leaning against the motorcycle._

"_Angeal."_

_The older man nodded. "Zack's right, Dia." He said, moving to sit next to her. "You need to start letting the others in."_

_Aradia looked between them. "I can't do that. They don't understand."_

"_That's where you're wrong." Zack told her. "They'll understand more than you think. Especially Cloud. That kid's been through hell and back, same as you. And Shelke was there with you."_

_Aradia shook her head. "And what am I supposed to do about Genesis and Weiss."_

"_Tell the others." Angeal told her. "There's something big coming for you. You know this. You'll need all the help you can get."_

"_I take it you can't tell me what that something is, can you?" Aradia asked._

_Angeal shook his head. "Against the rules. But you have to learn deal with it. You're one of the few who can. You're out of practice, Aradia. You've let your SOLDIER pride go, and with it, your honor."_

_Aradia rested two fingers against her temple. "I'm going to get one of those lectures again, aren't I?"_

_Angeal laughed. "No, I'm not going to put you through one of those. You should know how important honor, pride, and a will to live is by now, Aradia. You need to go. You have things to do."_

_Aradia nodded. "I'm just so confused, Angeal." She hung her head. "There was a time I didn't dare to imagine I would have what I found with Genesis, and now that he's back …"_

"_It's going to take time, Dia." Zack said, walking over and resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's been a long time, but you're strong. Stronger than any of us. You can deal with whatever the world throws at you. Just take it one day at a time."_

_Aradia smiled behind the curtain of her hair. She realized in that moment that it was long again. Well past her waist, the way it had been when she'd last seen these two. "Thank you." She said. "I promise, I'll do better. I can't lose them again. Not after everything that's happened."_

_Zack and Angeal nodded, smiling at her._

_They rose and went to stand by the Buster Sword. _

"_Oh," Zack said, turning to her, "Before I forget, not everyone is as harmless as they seem, Dia, and not everyone that seems dangerous is. He's going to take some time to reorient himself, and that should give you a prime window of opportunity."_

_Aradia watched as they disappeared. "What the hell does that mean?" She asked, but the two were already gone. Aradia whipped around to look behind _her only to find herself staring at the dirt around her. She sat up off the ground and ran her fingers through her hair as she took in the sight around her. She was alone, on the cliff, next to the Buster Sword.

She rose to her feet and took another survey of the area. Still alone. Had she imagined that conversation? Had it really been all just a dream? That was the second one today. She was starting to get worried. What the hell was her subconscious trying to tell her? She just couldn't imagine that these visions were simply dreams. There was something to them.

She looked up at the sun with a sigh. She needed to get back to Edge. Carin was going to kill her if she was late for her appointment. Aradia had been shocked when she'd gone in for her first injection after she'd run out of syringes from the escape and found Carin working in the medical and research departments. She'd been doing something to do with finding a cure for the Mako dependency that Aradia and Shelke suffered from.

There wasn't a whole helluva lot of progress because all records of how it developed had been stored with Patricia and the Tsviets hadn't thought about copying the files before their escape. It was the one thing that Shelke and Aradia were constantly angry at themselves for. Shelke's current project on the SND was to see what she could retrieve.

Aradia shook her head and made her way back to the bike. She had to get back to Edge fast. The last thing she needed was a health lecture from Carin. She was lucky that she'd avoided a Honor Lecture from Angeal…

Was it really just a dream?

* * *

**Edge**

She had to get more. More children. It was time to move again. It had been too long since she'd slept. Too long since the old ones had cursed her. All the things she'd learned. It was impossible to think that he'd tried, and used her in the attempt. Only to fail. Not even that scientist could do so successfully. It would take much work.

She moved through the city streets, looking around, the hood of her black cloak up over her head, hiding her from the people around her. She needed more than children now. They were useful, but they only went so far.

Those three … they'd been so close, and they were on the right track, but it simply wasn't enough. She was so proud of them, and so sad when they passed. She waited, bidding her time, because the time was fast approaching. Her children would be returned to her. She would see to it. These peons didn't know what was coming to them.

She made her way down a back alley and into a run down building. Soon. Very soon. She would find what she needed. Just a few more days and her plans would be well underway.

* * *

**Aradia's Appartment**

Genesis looked out the window, watching the children running gleefully below. Weiss was behind him, flipping through one of the many books that Aradia had around her home. Genesis held her much battered copy of Loveless in his hands. He'd read through it more than a dozen times today. He'd lived the story, and it still drew him in. He couldn't believe that she still had her copy. He wondered where she'd found it, because she hadn't had it with her when she'd joined him in Banora.

Weiss shot Genesis a look. "What's going through your head, Genesis?"

Genesis shook his head and held up the book. "She still has this book. It makes me wonder why. Did she have it in Deep Ground?"

Weiss shook his head. "No, but she knew it verbatim. She recited the poems to me before. It's a beautiful story. I'd never heard anything like it."

Genesis smiled to himself. "I didn't think she'd remembered it that well. I shouldn't be surprised. I all but drilled it into her head. I wasn't going to let my protégée go uncultured. Sephiroth and Angeal thought I was being cruel. Angeal took pity on her and bought her this copy of the book so that she could study it."

Weiss looked up from the book his hands. "Friends of yours?"

Genesis nodded. "The best I could have ever asked for. I didn't thank them very well for it. I destroyed both of them in my pursuit for a cure."

Weiss shook his head and snapped his book shut. "I don't see how it's your fault. If they were the kinds of friends you claim they were, then they should have followed you willingly."

Genesis shook his head. "Angeal's drive in life was to protect his honor. He died at the hands of his protégée the day Aradia was brought back to you. The information I uncovered drove Sephiroth insane. Neither of them would have betrayed ShinRa if not for me, but the things Hollander told me …"

Weiss sighed. "I understand what you mean. Nero, Rosso, and I were born from Project G. Our mothers were injected with Lifestream samples when we were conceived, and then when we were born, our DNA was mapped with yours."

Genesis looked over at him. "What?"

Weiss nodded. "As were the others. It made it easier for them to perform experiments on us. Azul was able to transform into a monstrous beast."

"Was Aradia ever …"

Weiss shook his head. "No. They worried that it would somehow disrupt whatever it was in her genetics that kept her from degrading like the rest of us. They tried everything they could, but none of it ever worked. In the end, she was just another Tsviet."

Genesis sighed and shook his head. "I should imagine that made them mad."

Weiss rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward with a sigh. "It was so much worse than that. I'm not sure if she ever told you, but if President ShinRa hadn't stepped in, then she would have been sent into the field and forced to do to others what was done to her."

Genesis looked back out the window and sighed. "She never told me that. I just assumed that she would have been killed."

Weiss shook his head. "She was too valuable for that. She would have been used as the ultimate weapon. She was the only one of us that could be away from the labs for long periods of time. President ShinRa made the same assumption, but had she been allowed to remain in Deep Ground, she would have been to the most rigorous training and strengthening therapy they could imagine, and pushed beyond her limits. She would have been given a chip similar to mine and treated much as I was. She would have become the most dangerous Tsviet in existence. It's why Nero and I protected her so much. We didn't want her to become what we had."

Genesis frowned. "I think I remember her saying something about Tsviets not being able to feel complex emotions."

"We're not." Weiss said. "At least, we're not supposed to. We all did, we just didn't pay that much attention to them because of the Restrictors. Nero was more devoted to me than anything imaginable. Even Rosso was dedicated to us. We formed a bond of loyalty that the Restrictors and the others hadn't calculated. With the exception of Azul, all of us were there by force, and we did what we could to survive. We only had each other. Shelke was so young when she was brought in, and Ara, that the three of us that were born there, that had never seen the outside world, felt the need to protect them." He gave a short laugh. "I guess we saw something special in them."

Genesis closed his eyes and hung his head. "What was she like back then?"

"Fearless." Weiss said. "It's the only word I can think of to describe her." he clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them, smiling at the memories. "She was thirteen when she came in. Rosso and I weren't much older than that, ourselves. Nero was still just a kid. She hated the Restrictors with a fire we'd never seen before. We'd only ever seen deference to them. They were our masters, our parents, our wardens, and we knew it. They controlled every aspect of our lives, and we hadn't seen any reason to question it."

"Until her?"

"Until her." Weiss agreed. "She was unconscious when she came in. She was out for two weeks, and when she woke up, they were bringing her out of the tank." his voice dropped to a serious tone and a chill raced down his spine. "I had never heard anyone scream like Ara did when they held her down for the Restrictors to inspect her. I'll never forget the words that came from her mouth after that soul shattering shriek. _I'll kill you all for this. Mark my words, you'll all suffer before I'm through with you._ She meant it. Those words from a thirteen year old wisp of a girl nearly made Rosso cower in fear."

"I don't see why they were so horrific." Genesis told him.

Weiss closed his eyes. "Because when she said them, her voice was low, husky and almost sensual. At thirteen. I'm sure you've heard the voice before. When she goes into a rage induced bloodlust, she talks like that. After she had some combat training, we learned what it meant."

"What happened?"

"Each of us were trained with different weapons depending on our body type and what the Restrictors wanted us to learn. Ara was trained with the arm blades, fashioned by Argento. When she had completed the first leg of training, she was locked in a room with some of the more experienced soldiers that they had created down there. People that were far older and vastly more experienced. When the door closed, the slaughter began. She moved faster than they could have ever imagined with a skill she hadn't previously demonstrated. Something in her changed when Mako met her system. She became an animal. Her bloodlust rivaled Rosso's, and her determination rivaled my own. She slaughtered thirty men and women in less than a half hour and only suffered one wound, which was a lucky shot from one man that had gotten the jump on her. He lost his head as soon as his blade touched her skin. His fall is what caused the cut on the inside of her left thigh."

"He'd gone for the femoral artery?" Genesis asked. "That's an unusual target for a battle situation because it takes so much to get to it."

Weiss nodded. "It wasn't an obvious kill strike and it wasn't an instant death, which she wasn't expecting. Its why she hunches over when she's waiting for a fight to begin. She walked out of the room covered in blood and when she spoke to the Restrictors, she swore that they would one day suffer the same fate. It took them a month to fully clean the room and Ara made good on her promise. When we escaped, she took down the last Restrictor. She took her time and she killed him slowly. I don't think she fully remembers what happened that day."

Genesis remained quiet. He didn't know what to say. He'd never really seen Aradia's darker side. He'd always see her professional side, and the girl that she was, but he'd only ever seen her in a bloodlust once, and that was when she was fighting the Turks when he'd launched his attack on Midgar.

"Other than the voice, how can you tell?" Genesis asked.

"She'll act as if she's going to bed with someone." Weiss said. "But that's only the beginning stages."

"I've seen it once." Genesis said. "She told one of the four Turks that she was fighting that she would taste his blood."

Weiss looked at him, stunned. "She was fighting them in a blood haze and they were still alive?"

"They were Turks." Genesis pointed out.

Weiss focused his gaze on the floor in front of him. "No. That doesn't sound like a full haze. If she was in a full haze, she wouldn't have stopped until they were dead. Ara was subjected to more mental torture than the rest of us because of the way she was. She was bound and determined that she was going to kill the Restrictors. They would toy with her on a whole different level."

Genesis nodded and looked turned to face the interior. "Weiss, you know that I was brought out of my stasis to protect the world in Sephiroth's stead, yes?"

Weiss nodded. "So you've mentioned a few times."

Genesis smirked. "You also seem to think that there's another reason."

Weiss shrugged. "I know Ara. I know her probably better than any living being on this planet, including herself, because I watched her for eight years, and then another ten after she returned to us. She came to me because she could go no where else. I know that she's been lost without you. In ten years, she never once spoke your name, Genesis. Not once. She would only refer to you in pronouns because she couldn't bare to speak your name. She quoted Loveless to herself. Endlessly, because it brought her comfort. And one specific line came up time and time again. Something about a sacrifice and world's end." Genesis froze and Weiss knew that the other man understood. "That has some significance."

"The story isn't over." Genesis murmured. "It can't be. Aradia was as dedicated as I was, and she has yet to receive her gift."

Weiss shook his head. "If you believe that as wholly as I think you do, then you should know that you are her gift, Genesis. And you should know that if you've come back, then there's something that the two of you need to do together. Nothing happens by chance."

* * *

Aradia sneezed hard as she lay on the medical gurney with her arm covering her eyes. Beside her, Shelke was keeping a dutiful watch. The girl was always in the WRO or at Vincent's side. It made no sense.

She _hated_ her injections. The quicker these idiots found a cure, the better off she would be. That was for damn sure.

"Carin!" Came a male voice. Aradia looked up and watched as the owner of that voice came running into the room. "Carin, quickly."

The good doctor came out of her office looking worried as she dried her hands with a towel. "What is it?"

"We've got six coming in." The man said. "That damn woman has been on the move in."

"More children?" Carin asked.

The man shook his head. "Adults this time. Something's wrong with them. They're all catatonic."

Aradia sat bolt upright and then clutched her head with both hands. Carin spun and glared at her. "Aradia, you know better than to move that fast. Shelke, help her, please." Shelke moved to hold Aradia upright as Carin turned back to the man in front of her. "What do you mean catatonic?"

"You're about to see for yourself." the man said as the shouts of the emergency response team could be heard from outside the room.

They wheeled in all of the people and they were covered in black spots. They all lay perfectly still on their gurneys. Their eyes were wide open, and all of them held what almost looked like a Mako glow.

Aradia moved from her bed, one arm wrapped firmly around her stomach as she walked over to them. One look at their eyes and she growled. "Fuck." she hissed. "I've seen those eyes before."

Carin nodded, looking them over. "This almost looks like the Geostigma."

"But there are no sores." Shelke said. "Vincent said that the Stigma caused sores."

Carin nodded. "This is something new. I want these people quarantined and under 24 hour surveillance. Now. We'll start tests as soon as everyone gets back from lunch."

Aradia backed away and turned for the door. This wasn't good. She knew those eyes. She needed to get back to her apartment. Now.

"Aradia, you can't leave." Carin called. "You've still got an hour before you're able to fully function."

Aradia shook her head. "No. I have to go. Now." She turned to the little auburn haired girl next to her. "Call Cloud. Tell him to come pick up his bike. I need to go."

Shelke nodded. "Do you want me to come with you, Ara?"

"No, Shelke. Not yet." Aradia told her. She didn't make it another few steps when her own phone decided to ring. She swore and picked it up, seeing her home number flashing at her. "What is it?" She asked.

"_Weiss collapsed. He's pale, Dia, paler than I've ever seen him. It almost looks like the degradation, and he's holding onto his stomach."_ It was Genesis.

"You'll have to explain a little better." She told him, deliberately not using his name.

"_He looks like you did in Wutai. It started just as suddenly. One minute we're having a conversation and reading books, the next he's on the floor clutching his abdomen."_

"Fuck." Aradia hissed again. "I'll be there in less than ten minutes, Genesis. Do _not_ do anything."

"_Hurry." _Genesis said.

Aradia hung up and turned to see everyone staring her. "Carin, I don't have time for questions right this second. I need a syringe of Mako, twice my normal dose, and I need it now."

Carin was moving instantly. She handed Aradia the syringe and Aradia turned to Shelke. "I need you to drive the bike, Shelke. I'm in no condition to do it."

Shelke nodded. "Let's go."

Aradia followed the child out without another word of explanation. Why was it shit always went to hell before you could blink and why did this time scare the hell out of her?

* * *

**A/n**: Hare: There you have it. Chapter 3. The fun is just beginning. Let us know what you think. Time only turns when you send us reviews.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed for the last chapter as well. We love you for it. Sorry it took us so long to get this one out. We really didn't mean to.

_Sit quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself._ - Author unknown.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: Hatteress:** So here is the forth chapter of The Promise. Things are slowly but surely picking up and soon we'll be hitting the big over-all plot.

**Hare:** Oh sure, Spoil them why don't you!

**Hatteress:** Unlike you, I have no problems throwing our readers a bone. It's not like I told them what the over-all plot was.

**Hare:** *throws up paws in frustration* They're supposed to be surprised.

**Hatteress:** *uncaring shrug* They'll still be surprised.

**Hare:** *ears fall back* If you say so. Here ya go folks. Chapter 4. Look at this. We're spoiling you. Two chapters in just over a week. Shame on us. But I've been on a roll, so we'll see how it goes.

**Hatteress:** Enjoy~

**D/c: Hare:** At this point, the only thing we know for sure is that Square Enix owns FFVII. Hatteress and I stopped drawing the line on who owns what chapters ago, because it just got too damn complicated.

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Aradia held on to Shelke's tiny form as they flew through the city. They needed to get back to her apartment fast. It would be the only chance she had to save Weiss.

"Shelke, can you push this thing any faster?" She asked.

"Hold on tight." Shelke told her.

Suddenly the bike was moving faster than Aradia or Cloud had ever pushed it. They made it back to Aradia's place in record time and Aradia didn't even wait for the bike to stop before she was off of it and running up the stairs to her home.

Genesis looked up sharply from where he was knelt next to a whimpering Weiss when she slammed through the door. Aradia walked over and dropped to the ground next to him and pulled out the Syringe that Carin had given her. She wasted no time in driving it into Weiss' arm and pushing down the plunger.

Aradia looked over at Genesis. "Move him to my bed."

Genesis nodded and took the man into the other room. Aradia turned to find Shelke in her doorway, staring after them.

"Was that Weiss?" She asked, looking over at Aradia. "Tell me that was Weiss."

Aradia sighed. "It was. He and Genesis showed up here last night, completely out of the blue, after I got off work."

"Why now?" Shelke asked, moving into the apartment and closing the door. She knew the need for secrecy at the moment. If Vincent found out that Weiss was still alive …

"I don't know. I hadn't gotten that far into the explanations." Aradia said. She looked towards the hallway where Genesis was just coming out of her room. "But I will be soon. How's he doing?"

"He's still in pain." Genesis said, looking over at her with apologetic eyes. "But he'll be fine. His degradation is just like yours is. We think it's from the time he spent fused with Omega and Hojo."

Aradia crossed her arms and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her face hard. "So now you're going to tell me how the hell he managed to survive a year without the help of the WRO. Shelke and I have to go in for them to give us the Mako we need. She practically lives there. After the Stigma, they didn't want anyone getting into it, so they took control over all of the contaminated areas. You would have been found."

Genesis shook his head. "There's a pool on the outskirts of the city that they didn't touch. Weiss never traveled very far from it and bathed in it regularly. We left just under a month ago to try and find you."

"Do you know how he survived the fight with Vincent?" Shelke asked.

"No. All I know is that he dropped into the cavern where I was sealed." Genesis told her. "He was unconscious when I woke up."

Aradia frowned. "This doesn't make any sense. If he was getting by with Mako baths, then he shouldn't be reacting this soon, even with my kind of degradation. I can go four weeks and a day before the pain starts. How long has it been exactly since you left?"

"Five weeks." Genesis told her.

Aradia looked at him in shock. "How does it take you five weeks to ….. Never mind. That means his is a variant of mine."

"I don't see how this is fair." Shelke muttered, sounding like a petulant child. "I'm the only one that still needs daily baths."

"Get over it." Aradia told her. "Even yours isn't as bad as it used to be. Ever since the Life Stream went back into the planet, you only need to sleep in it and you can go a full day. It used to be you were collapsing all over the place if you weren't in the highest concentrated room."

Shelke glared at Aradia. "Can I go see him?"

Aradia nodded. "Sure."

Genesis stepped aside for the girl to pass him. He moved into the living room and looked at Aradia. "Are you alright?'

Aradia shook her head. "No, I'm not alright. I'm just lucky I have an insane ability to focus, or I'd be throwing up all over the place."

Genesis moved quickly to her side. "Then you should lay down. I know what those injections do to you, Dia."

Aradia shook her head. "Ever since the stream returned to normal, even my own dependency has changed. I can function on a minor level about three hours in." She looked over at him. "I have to tell the rest of AVALANCHE about you and Weiss, Genesis, and I have to do it soon. It's not going to go well if I keep it from Cloud and Vincent too much longer. I should have called them all last night, but I was in shock …"

Genesis shook his head. "You're out of your mind, here, Aradia. You need to calm down, let your injection settle into your system, and relax for a minute. We can figure all of that out when you're back at full strength."

Aradia nodded and sat down in her favorite chair and rested her head against the side of it. She curled her knees up to her chest and looked up at Genesis. "Why are you always taking care of me."

"Because I'm in love with you." Genesis told her. "Because I don't want anything to happen to you. In the back of my mind, I was always worried about you." He gave a small smile. "You know, when I met Weiss and Nero after they picked me up in Banora, I didn't understand why you cared for them so much. They reminded me a lot of Sephiroth. All business. Then I mentioned you. They instantly changed, and I understood why you cared for them so much."

Aradia gave him a wary look. "What do you mean you mentioned me?"

"I simply told them that I knew you." Genesis told her. "I didn't know what those people had in store for me, and I knew I would need allies on my side if something happened. I remembered what you said about the Tsviets and loyalty. I'd hoped that Weiss and Nero were ones that I could trust."

"That was a huge, stupid risk." Aradia murmured. "You're lucky it was them, and not Azul. Azul would have turned you into the Restrictors first thing, and my family and myself would have been killed without a second thought. Especially considering I never told them your name."

They looked up when they heard stumbling in the other room. Weiss appeared a second later, supported on one side by Shelke.

"I don't know how you do this, Ara." Weiss muttered.

Aradia smirked. "Years and years of practice. Just try not to throw up on my floor. You'll be cleaning it up."

Weiss glared at her as Shelke helped him to sit on the couch. He smiled at her in thanks and rested his head back. "How long does this last."

"Depends on the person." Aradia told him. "Mine goes on four hours. How long has it been since your last bath?"

"Six weeks." Weiss said. "We didn't know how long it would take for this to happen. Now we know."

Aradia nodded. "I'd say you've got anywhere from four to six hours before you're able to function at a normal level. Lucky for you, the WRO only gives us pure Mako, so it should work faster."

Weiss glared. "Thanks for that."

Shelke looked over at Weiss. "Where's Nero?"

Silence blanketed the room. Aradia and Shelke were staring at Weiss, wanting an answer. Genesis was looking out the window, trying not to be a part of the conversation. This was between the Tsviets. Weiss was staring into the blank space in front of him.

"We weren't going to let anyone separate us again." Weiss said, his voice low, nearly inaudible. "He had the ability and it got rid of that bastard that was controlling me."

"YOU ASSIMILATED!" Aradia snarled, shooting out of her chair and to her feet, swaying under the almost uncontrollable wave of nausea that hit her. Genesis moved to help her steady. "Are you out of your damned mind?"

Weiss looked up at her with sad eyes. "There was nothing else we could do. Everyone had separated us before that. Now they can't."

Aradia growled and swung her hand around to slap him. "You're both idiots. Complete and utter idiots."

Weiss looked up at her in shock, holding the spot where her hand struck. No one had ever hit him. Ever. He watched her warily as she sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder. He looked over at Shelke to see her standing there, devastated.

"We're all that's left?" The girl asked.

Weiss nodded. "Everyone else was killed in the fight."

Aradia sat up and rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. "This is insane."

Silence blanketed the room as the realization sunk in. It was broken when Aradia and Shelke's phones both rang at the same time.

"Yeah?" Aradia asked as she got up and walked into the kitchen. Shelke went the other way, into the bedrooms.

"_Aradia Maynard, we need you to come back to Headquarters. There's something the Director would like to talk to you about. The other members of AVALANCHE will be there as well."_

Aradia growled. "I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up the phone and came out of the kitchen at the same time Shelke was opening the door.

"We have to go, Ara." Shelke told her.

"I'm coming." Aradia said. She turned to the two men currently occupying her home. "I'll be back in a few hours. Hope that you're injection has settled, Weiss, because when I get back, we're heading over to Seventh Heaven." She and Shelke were out the door without another word leaving the two men stunned.

Aradia adjusted the straps on her arm blades as she made her way back down to the bike. She was lucky Cloud had let her borrow it today. If she hadn't, things would have gone horribly wrong.

She mounted the bike and Shelke climbed on behind her, pulling out her cellphone. "They told me I needed to contact Vincent as well." She said. "He won't answer the phone to anyone else."

"I wonder why that is." Aradia said as she started the bike and took off down the road. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you carry the mental fragments of his dead girlfriend, would it?"

Shelke snorted. "He's starting to see me as myself, now." She defended. "I think he genuinely cares for me."

"I didn't say he didn't." Aradia told her as she weaved through traffic with expert skill. "Do me a favor, Shelke, don't say anything about Weiss and Genesis just yet. I'll tell everyone tonight."

Surprise crossed Shelke's features. "Sure."

* * *

Aradia and Shelke met Vincent in the main foyer of the WRO building. He nodded to Aradia and gave Shelke a small smile as they made their way up to the Director's Office. Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, and the others were waiting for them outside Reeve's door.

"Anyone know what this is all about?" Tifa asked. Aradia was sure that she was worried about Denzel and Marlene. Both were in school today, but would be getting out soon.

"No idea." Aradia said as she walked up. "I was in here earlier for my Injection and they had six adults come in from an attack by that silver haired woman that everyone is so worried about. I have a feeling it's got to do with that."

"That's very astute of you, Aradia." Reeve said as he walked up behind the group. "That's exactly why I've asked you all to come here today."

They all made their way into the office and took varying positions as they stood by. Only Tifa and Yuffie took chairs. Aradia stood with her back leaning against the wall and her arms crossed over her chest. Shelke slid down and sat on the floor next to her feet. Cloud and Vincent stood on the other side of the room and Barrett and cid both stood by the door.

"So what's the deal, Reeve?" Cloud asked.

"As I'm sure you've heard," Reeve began, "There have been mass reports of a woman with silver hair attacking children for several weeks now."

Assent from all sides to confirm.

"What about it?" Aradia asked. "I thought it was your job to stop nutcases like her."

"It is." Reeve sighted, resting his elbows on the desk and folding his hands. "But she's proving elusive. By the time anyone can respond, she's gone. The attacks don't last very long. Eye witness reports say that she runs up to a child, grabs them, shakes them around for only a moment while screaming about her children, and then she runs off."

"But these attacks are escalating." Shelke said. "This afternoon …"

Reeve nodded gravely. "Yes. This afternoon she attacked six adults, all male, and all of them have fallen catatonic." he looked over at Aradia. "You were there this morning, Aradia. Is there anything you can tell us? Carin is still working to see what she can make of it."

"They were frozen stiff." Aradia sighed. "They had marks on them, similar to the Stigma, but not nearly as bad. There were no sores. They were just black spots." She looked over at Cloud directly. "But the one thing I noticed above all were the eyes."

Cloud stiffened. "What do you mean by eyes."

"The pupil was thinning." Aradia told him. "Slowly, but they were noticeably longer and thinner than normal. I don't think Carin noticed. She was more concerned with the fact that they were catatonic with their eyes wide open and sprouting black splotches all over the place."

"This isn't possible." Cloud said. "After the issue with Omega, the Lifestream was returned to normal."

"I'm only telling you what I saw." Aradia defended.

Vincent looked over at Reeve. "What do you want us to do?"

"We need this woman captured so we can find out what she's doing and why." Reeve said. "None of my men have the skill to do this, and they're not constantly on the ground like you guys are. We also need as much information as we can get. You have connections in the underground that we don't. We need to know what's going on, and with this mornings attack, we want the children she's attacked brought in to be examined."

Looks were exchanged all around the room. Cloud looked at all of the others and they nodded to him. Even Shelke. All eyes landed on Aradia.

"Dia, we need your help with this." Cloud told her. "You have skills that we don't, and you know more about everything that's happened in the last 20 years than the rest of us combine."

Aradia sighed. "And here I just wanted to live a normal, human, life." She shook her head. "Fine. I'll help."

Reeve smiled. "Thank you. All of you. Let us know what you find out."

They all nodded to him and made their way out into the hallway. Aradia sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Cloud, Tifa, you got a minute?"

They nodded and waved to the others before following Aradia down the hall a ways.

"What is it, Dia?" Cloud asked.

"I need to meet with everyone at the bar tonight." Aradia said. "I've got some things I need to tell everyone. Think you can swing it?"

Tifa nodded. "No problem. I'll go let them all know that there's a meeting tonight."

Aradia nodded her thanks as Tifa turned and ran towards the others. Cloud looked over at Aradia with curiosity. "What's going on, Dia? You've been on edge for a while."

Aradia shook her head. "It's been a year since I found out I've lost everything, Cloud. It's a little rough for me. I don't deal with emotions well. Side effect of everything that's happened to me."

Cloud smiled. "It's understandable, but Dia, you can talk to us. We're not going to bite." He gave a small laugh. "What's this big reveal you're planning tonight, anyway?"

Aradia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just something that happened last night that you guys need to be aware of. It could make or break this new mission, depending on how things go."

Cloud nodded. "We'll meet you there in a couple of hours then."

Aradia nodded and pulled the keys for the bike out of her pocket. "Here. It's parked out front."

Cloud smirked. "Thanks. See you tonight, Dia."

"Yeah. See you." Aradia sighed as she turned and walked away. She made her way down to Medbay. If she was going to be of any use, she had to know what Carin had found.

She walked into Carin's office to find the woman slumped over her desk with her eyes closed, muttering to herself.

"Hey, Carin, you alright?" Aradia asked.

Carin snapped up. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said, hastily stacking up the papers under her and stuffing them into a file. "What about you?"

"Just waiting for the last of the effects from the injection to wear off." Aradia told her, leaning a hip on the edge of the desk. "I'm sorry about running out earlier, there was an emergency at home."

"Aradia, you live alone." Carin pointed out.

Aradia smirked. "Not anymore. You'll find out later, I'm sure." She looked down at the woman that had been taking care of her since she came out of Deep Ground the first time. "I need to know what you found on those attack victims this morning, Carin. Reeve has Cloud and the rest of us working the case."

Carin nodded. "Alright. Come through here, and I'll show you." She rose from her seat and Aradia followed. "We have them quarantined, because we don't know if they're contagious or not. I don't have to worry about you getting anything that may come from the Life stream because of what happened to you, but I've got everyone else in bio-suits."

"Safety first." Aradia muttered. She waited while Carin put on her suit and then followed her into the room.

"Carin, she can't be in here without …" one of the other women said.

"It's alright." Carin said. "She's one of the two Tsviets left." Carin led Aradia over to the firsts bed. "We've been doing all of the standard exams and for all intents and purposes it acts like the Sigma, but when we lanced open the wounds, they didn't ooze, they didn't do anything."

"They didn't even bleed?" Aradia asked.

Carin shook her head. "Nothing, and they mended themselves minutes later." She picked up a scalpel to demonstrate. Aradia watched as the wound opened and closed within minutes. "All of their vitals are perfectly fine. Reflexes are still working and everything. It's as if nothing is wrong with them."

"Except they're catatonic." Aradia said. "And sprouting black spots."

"Except that." Carin agreed.

Aradia stepped around Carin to the face of the man laying on the bed. She reached up and opened one eye, looking closely. "Carin, Can I have a flashlight?"

Carin nodded and handed her one of the medical lights they used to test retinas. Aradia flashed into the man's eye and watched as the eye refused to contract. "Well that's not normal." Aradia muttered. She checked the other eye with the same results. "Their eyes aren't dilating or contracting."

"What?" Carin asked. "What do you mean?"

"Look at the pupil. It doesn't change." Aradia said, flashing the light over one of his eyes again.

"And that's not a normal shape for a human." Carin muttered. "What is this?"

"I don't know." Aradia told her. "But I have all intentions of finding out." She looked up at the other woman. "Keep me posted on your progress."

Carin nodded. "Of course." Aradia turned and walked out of the lab and out of Medbay. Once on the street, Aradia was on full alert. They needed to figure this out fast. For now, Aradia had places to be, and things to do. It was time to face her friends.

* * *

Aradia sighed as she stood outside the door to her apartment. This was not going to go over well. She knew it wasn't. She just had a sinking feeling that this was going to turn into a fight.

She walked into her home and found Weiss on the couch, sleeping. Lucky bastard. Genesis was sitting on the chair with her copy of Loveless in his hands.

"Aradia…" Genesis said, getting up. "What took you so long?"

"I had to give Cloud his motorcycle back." She told him. "So I had to walk home."

Genesis frowned. "Why does that name sound familiar."

"He was the infantryman with Zack in Modeoheim." Aradia sighed.

"Really?" Genesis asked. He shook his head. "What are you doing with him then?"

Aradia rolled her eyes. "Relax, Mr. Protective. He's thoroughly enamored by his childhood friend, and he's my last connection to Zack."

Genesis snorted. "If you say so."

Aradia rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Get ready to leave. We're going out. I need to let the others know that you're alive and it's best to get it done all at once. Especially considering the hell Weiss wracked through here a year ago."

"I resent that." Weiss murmured sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "I was under Hojo's control."

"And that might just be the only thing that saves your life." Aradia told him. "Get up and get dressed."

She walked into her room and dug out a clean pair of pants and a tank top. She pulled off her arm blades and changed her clothes, pulling on her old boots from when she escaped Deep Ground. She swept her hair out of her face and reached for her arm blades. After checking the springs and triggers, she put them back on, making sure they were secure. If this came down to a fight, no matter what connections she had, she would always side with Genesis.

She flexed her fingers and checked the triggers, locking and unlocking them around her fingers a few times. It had only been a day since she used them, but she still wanted to make sure things were in working order. She picked up a black coat that swept the floor as she walked that had sleeves down to her wrists. She walked out to the living room to find Genesis and Weiss waiting for her, both with hooded cloaks on. She nodded and led the way out the door. Seventh Heaven wasn't a far walk from her home.

A block away, Aradia started to feel her nerves. She didn't want to fight her friends. Not after everything that they'd done for her. She sincerely hoped this did not come down to a fight.

Genesis and Weiss could see the change in Aradia the closer they got. It wasn't fair to her that she was being put in the middle of a fight that she simply didn't want to happen. It was the same reason that she'd left when the Tsviets broke out of Deep Ground. Weiss knew the toll this was taking on her. Genesis could see it in her eyes, the same as he could the day he dropped her off in Sector Eight, when she'd seen Zack. She hated being split between sides, and this would be the ultimate fight.

Aradia froze when she saw a woman in a heavy black cloak walking towards them. The woman looked at them with wide eyes and ran up to Aradia.

"You, Child, he talks about you all the time." She murmured, reaching up to stroke Aradia's face. She froze when she her hands touched skin. "Tainted, you're tainted. He didn't say you were tainted." She looked at Genesis and Weiss. "Now I understand. Okay. Okay, we'll leave them, for now. My poor boy. He's so alone. He needs friends." She looked at Aradia again. "You're so pretty. So pretty. Maybe. Soon. Must go. Others to find."

The woman let Aradia go and turned to continue the opposite direction of the trio.

Aradia turned to watch her progress for a moment. "Did any of that seem weird to you two?"

Genesis looked at her as if she'd grown another head. "What part of that wasn't strange?"

Aradia nodded. "I'd hoped it wasn't just me." She turned and continued walking towards Seventh Heaven. "You get a lot of crazy people around here. The mental trauma from the Geostigma did it to a lot of them."

"What was the Geostigma?" Genesis asked.

"Jenova cells that had been sustained in the Lifestream." Aradia said. "When the Lifestream washed over the planet to heal from the Meteor incident, people began getting sick. Black sores appeared on their skin that would break open and ooze black slime. Was fatal, eventually. Caused a mass panic. Anyone who was seen with the Stigma was instantly ostracized because people thought it was contagious, even though it wasn't. All it was, was the body overcompensating, trying to destroy the foreign cells. It didn't work out too well." She shrugged, raising her hands. "At least, that's what I heard. This was before we got out of Hell."

Genesis looked back in the direction the woman had gone. "And it caused people to go insane?"

Aradia shrugged. "I have no idea. That, you would have to ask one of the others." She looked up to see Seventh Heaven in front of her. She took a deep breath and noted that the blinds were closed. Good. That meant that the whole group was there and it was an official meeting. "Lets get this over with." She muttered.

She walked in first with Genesis and Weiss following behind her, one after another. All eyes were on Weiss as he threw his hood off.

It took only seconds for the chaos to erupt. Tifa and Yuffie were herding the kids into the back while the men took defensive positions, Vincent trying to keep Shelke behind him even as his gun trained on Weiss' head.

"Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for." Aradia sighed.

"What's going on here, Ara?" Vincent asked. "What are you doing with that bastard."

"Well," Aradia said. "That's kinda why I called the meeting. Now, if you'd please put your weapons away, I can explain."

"No way." Cloud snapped, his sword held out in front of him as he took in Genesis. "You brought two enemies here, Dia. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that they weren't enemies anymore." Aradia said, checking her nails as she stepped in front of both of the men. "Now put your weapons away. I'm not having Tifa doc my check any more than she already does for damages."

All eyes fell on her.

"This don't make no sense." Berrett said. "I remember watching _that_ one," he pointed his gun arm at Weiss, "summon that monster that nearly wiped us all out."

"Yes," Aradia said. "He did that. But if you remember correctly, he was under the influence of someone outside of himself at the time."

"Hojo was destroyed before Omega was summoned." Vincent pointed out.

"True, but I already had Omega's consciousness pulling the strings when that happened." Weiss said. "Just like Ara, the rest of us only wanted to live normally once we got out."

"Then why did you kill teams of people that went in to find out what was under there?" Cloud asked.

"What part of mind control is bouncing off that thick skull of yours?" Genesis asked.

"You keep your mouth shut." Cloud snarled at him. "You weren't under mind control and you're the sole reason Zack is dead and Sephiroth lost his mind. Remember, I was in Nibelheim."

Aradia clenched her jaw. "ENOUGH!" She screamed. "Put your damn weapons away before I slice them apart myself." All eyes were on her now.

"Dia …"

"No!" Aradia snapped. "I'm sick of this. You idiots don't know anything about what happened in either incident. Cloud, you have no idea what Genesis was going through when all of that happened. Vincent, I know what Hojo told you, and I know what you saw, but I also know what happened in the confines of Deep Ground, so you don't have the whole story either. So you can all either put your fucking weapons away, sit down, and listen to what they have to say, or you can try to get through me to get to them." She locked her fingers in the triggers of her arm blades and clenched her fists, sending the blades forward. "Your choice."

One by one, everyone put their weapons away. Yuffie and Tifa, who had been listening from the back room where they'd planned to defend Denzel and Marlene, poked their heads around the door.

Cloud looked over at Aradia as she let go of the triggers and her blades slid back into hiding. "What do you mean, what they went through?"

* * *

**A/n: Hare:** As per usual, The Hatteress has wandered off to do something else. We sincerely hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Besides, look, there's plot. Lots of Plot. And you thought this would be a random spew. Nope! There's Plot …. Sorry, Hatteress took my carrots again…. I'm in a mood.

Thanks to all our readers, and special thanks to our reviewers. We love you all and can't wait to hear from you. We missed you, so drop us a line.

The Hatteress and her Faithful Hare.

_Freedom is just Chaos with better lighting. - _Alan Dean Foster


	5. Chapter 5

A/n: Hatteress: First off, sorry for the long ass hiatus. We've both been pretty damn busy with a bunch off things. I've been kidnapped by Assassin's Creed, Supernatural and Devil May Cry so I'm typing up fics for those and Hare has a job that I think is sucking away her soul.

Hare: That's an understatement. The soul is gone, they're working on the lifeforce now.

Hatteress: At any rate we'll try to get more chapters up. We have one more after this that's already been typed up and we'll post that sometime in the early future. I can't make any guarantees how soon updates will occur but we'll do our damn best.

Hare: Yep. Sorry for the long wait folks. I give you all virtual cups and spoons for your tea while you read and wait for the next post.

D/c: We don't own it. At this point the only thing we can lay claim to is the plot and Aradia.

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Aradia looked around the room, her eyes lingering on Marlene and Denzel as they sat, their eyes wide, next to their adopted fathers. "Deep Ground, I'm sure you all know, was originally a medical facility for wounded ShinRa troops. That all changed with the beginning of the Jenova Project and Project G …"

Aradia told the whole story of Deep Ground. From the day the Jenova Projects started, until they overthrew the Restrictors. Weiss and Shelke gave their own inputs, as Weiss was there long before Aradia was, and Shelke had different experiences. Everyone listened with rapt attention as even Genesis didn't have all of this information. When Aradia finished talking, silence blanketed the room.

"That Shinra was an evil bastard, wasn't he?" Cid asked.

Aradia's face darkened. "You have no idea."

Cloud was glaring at Genesis. "That doesn't explain why Genesis did what he did."

"Actually it does." Aradia told him. "Genesis was one of the two children that came out of Project G. He was considered the failed experiment, even though it was because of his birth that the experiments in Deep Ground reached the level that they did. Rosso was spliced with only his genes, the first to be, and you saw how powerful she was."

"She was also bat shit crazy." Barrett commented.

"That was because of the experimentation." Weiss said. "You could never imagine the things that they did down there, to any of us. Rosso's mind just couldn't take it."

"And yours could?" Cloud asked.

Weiss smiled. "Some of us were just a little stronger than she was."

"Enough." Aradia snapped. "At any rate, when Genesis learned of his origins it …"

"It caused me to go slightly crazy, myself." Genesis interjected. "I regret every step that I took, until I was greeted by the Goddess in the Lifestream."

"You were what?" Aradia hissed.

Genesis nodded. "She restored me, rid me of the degradation, and sent me back."

"That doesn't excuse you for what you did in Nibelheim." Tifa told him.

Genesis sighed. "At the time, I wanted the Jenova cells, thinking that they could save me. I thought Sephiroth could help me considering that he was born from having Jenova cells implanted into the Fetus. I was wrong, because I managed to track down Zack Fair some time after he had escaped Hojo's confinement, and that didn't work. Anything Sephiroth did after I left was of his own doing."

"But you still planted the seed of doubt." Cloud snapped.

"Yes, I did." Genesis said. "I thought he would join me, not go rampaging around, trying to destroy the Planet."

Aradia's hand few to her mouth and all eyes landed on her. Genesis moved to stand in front of her. "Dia, Dia what is it?"

"Not everyone is as harmless as they seem, Dia, and not everyone that seems dangerous is." Aradia muttered.

"What?" Genesis asked.

"Its …" Aradia shook her head. "It's something Zack told me once."

Cloud looked up sharply. "Zack?"

Aradia nodded. "Yeah, he … this is going to sound insane, but he spoke to me today. That's what he told me. That not everyone that appears harmless is harmless, and not everyone that appears dangerous is dangerous. I have no clue what he meant by the first part, but I'm sure he was talking about Genesis and Weiss in the second."

Cloud frowned. "I don't trust them, Dia."

"Then don't." Aradia told him. "but I do, and we'll need their help."

"And what if they turn on us?" Vincent asked.

"Tsviets are loyal, if nothing else." Weiss put in. "I'm not going to betray Shelke or Ara."

"Besides, we'd kill him if he did." Shelke said.

"And Genesis isn't going to do anything to compromise his SOLDIER Pride ever again. He owes too much to this planet to betray it again." Aradia told them. She looked down at the man that was still in front of her. "Isn't that right?"

"More than that, I'm never leaving you behind again." Genesis told her, smiling.

Aradia shook her head. "Did you guys manage to figure anything out about this woman that we're supposed to be after?"

"Not yet." Cloud said, "But we've put the word out and should be hearing back from a few of our contacts here in a few hours at least. What did you find out from Carin?"

"Well, whatever is affecting these people, it isn't the stigma." Aradia sighed. "It looks like it, but it isn't. With the stigma, you said that the wounds would ooze black, right?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, they did."

Aradia shook her head. "These don't. They don't even bleed when lanced. They heal right back up a few minutes later."

Weiss had a finger against his mouth and he was staring into space. Genesis had moved to stand against the wall, while the others all had their attention directed at Aradia. Both, Aradia knew, were thinking hard.

"On top of all of that, all of their vitals are completely normal. Heart rate, breathing, blood pressure. All at normal, human, levels. Their reflexes are working normally and physically, it doesn't appear as if there's anything wrong with them. The only difference is, like I said earlier, the eyes." Aradia looked over at Cloud. "All of their eyes are turning blue with thinning pupils, but the pupils aren't reacting to light."

"Sephiroth was like that." Genesis said. All eyes turned to him. He looked up at them with a shrug. "I spent how many years with the man as one of my best friends. His eyes never dilated. It's why he was always squinting like he did. Mind you, he saw better in the dark than the rest of us could have ever hoped to."

"Sephiroth was like that because of the Jenova cells, though, wasn't he?" Aradia asked.

"He was."

"But it's not possible that this is from Jenova." Cloud said.

"Cloud is right." Shelke said. "When Omega was defeated, the life stream returned to the planet and it was purified."

"It doesn't sound like anything else that I can think of." Genesis said. "It just doesn't make sense."

"Has there been any progress on finding the child victims?" Aradia asked.

Cloud shook his head. "We've hit a couple of houses, but the families were gone. Right down to the pet."

Tifa looked up. "I think, maybe we should talk to some of the people that witnessed the attacks, not just the victims. Maybe we can get a description from them of what she looked like, other than just silver hair."

They all nodded. Cloud looked over at her. "Yuffie, Tifa, can you work on getting that list from Reeve and doing interviews?"

They nodded.

"The rest of us will keep our ears to the ground and see what else we can find." Cloud said. He looked over at Genesis and Weiss. "You two report directly to Aradia or me."

They nodded, hiding their contempt for the younger boy well, though Aradia could still see it. She rose from her seat and adjusted her coat. "I'll let you guys know if we find anything, be sure to do the same. Carin should contact me with any changes in the six attack victims from this morning, so I'll be sure to relay the intel."

Cloud nodded. "Take care of yourself, Dia."

"Of course." Aradia said, smiling. "Don't worry about me, Cloud. I'm a big girl." She turned to the two men that had come with her. "Lets go."

As they walked out the door, Cloud's phone was ringing.

Aradia looked over at Weiss and Genesis. "Are you two alright?" she asked.

Genesis nodded. "I'm fine."

Weiss frowned. "I'm not. I think I'm going to go back to the apartment, Ara, if you don't mind."

Aradia gave a wicked grin. "How long were you asleep when I got home?"

Weiss shrugged and Genesis answered for him. "He'd been asleep since just after you left."

Aradia laughed and spun around to face them. "You'll want to go home and go straight to the bathroom. And try not to throw up all over my house."

Weiss looked up at her. "Why?"

"Sleeping sends the Mako into stasis. It stops moving through the bloodstream." Aradia told him. "Now it's going to be uncontrollable."

"But I felt fine." Weiss hissed.

Aradia nodded. "Yeah. We'll help you get back. I want to take Genesis somewhere after words. I think he needs to see it." She turned around and started walking again. "You should have known, Weiss, after eighteen years of watching me. You really should have known."

Weiss grumbled the rest of the way back to the apartment. Once they had him settled in, Aradia led Genesis right back out the door. She warned him to grab his Rapier, as where they were going was potentially dangerous.

"How far is it, out?" Genesis asked when he realized that they were walking.

"A way." Aradia told him. "The cliffs are about six miles outside of Edge."

Genesis smirked. "Aradia, come over here." Aradia shot him a perplexed look as she moved closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and before Aradia could blink, they were soaring through the sky, Genesis' huge black wing spread behind him.

Aradia smiled and rested a hand on his cheek. "I'd forgotten about that. I didn't know you'd kept it."

"I was surprised when I did." Genesis sighed. "So, where are we going."

"To the cliffs." Aradia told him, pointing.

Genesis saw where she indicated and circled around to landed them on the cliff next to the Buster Sword. Aradia smiled at him over her shoulder as she turned and walked over. She knelt before the sword and touched her forehead to it in a gesture they'd both seen too many times to count. Genesis moved to kneel next to her, though he didn't repeat the gesture.

Aradia pulled back and smiled at Genesis. "I thought you might like to come out here and see it for yourself."

"Why is it out here?" Genesis asked, he looked over at the rusted sword that once belonged to his childhood friend.

"Because this is where Zack died." Aradia sighed. "They were taken by Hojo and used in the Sephiroth copy project. They escaped and were making their way to Edge. ShinRa troops were on their tail because even Zack's reputation couldn't stop them from hunting them down like lab rats."

Genesis sighed and rose to his feet, resting his hand on the Buster Sword. "It shouldn't be out here like this. Angeal would be going crazy if he saw the condition it was in."

Aradia sighed and nodded. "I know, but there's nothing I can do. Zack passed it to Cloud when he died. Cloud decided to leave it here to mark the spot where he died."

Genesis shook his head. "Use brings about wear, tear, and rust." He murmured. "Angeal … he told us that every time we asked why he didn't use his sword. Sephiroth thought it was a joke. He didn't know that Angeal truly felt that way, because this sword represented everything his family was."

Aradia frowned as she watched Genesis turn towards the sword and look down, placing a hand over his heart._ "Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest._" He looked over at Aradia. "Do you think he found rest, my wandering friend?"

Aradia nodded and walked over to Genesis' side, wrapping her arms around his chest. "I know he did. He was surpassed by his protégée and came to an honorable end."

"And Sephiroth?" Genesis asked. "What about him?"

Aradia hung her head. "I don't know, Genesis. I really don't know. I wish I did."

Genesis sighed. "Lets head back. We should make sure Weiss is okay."

Aradia nodded. "Yeah."

Just as Genesis was about to take off they heard growling above them. Aradia looked up and saw fiends above them. She shook her head and stepped away from Genesis.

"This is why I said to bring Rapier." She sighed. "If it's not Fiends, it's ShinRa loyalists."

Genesis smirked as he drew his weapon. "I would expect nothing less." He glanced over at her. "Just like old times."

"Only I have ten years more training." Aradia told him as the Fiends attacked them.

Aradia kicked one away from her as she locked her right hand into the triggers of her arm blade to stab another. It was a whole pack of them. Aradia locked her left hand into the triggers and froze when the blade wouldn't come forward. She snarled and sliced the throat of a third that was coming her way before she looked over at Genesis.

"Defend me for a moment." She hissed and he nodded, moving in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Genesis asked.

"My blade won't work." Aradia snarled, pulling up the sleeve of her coat. She heard Rapier sing as she checked over the blade. "Damn it. The cable is broken."

"Can you fight with just one?" Genesis asked.

"Not as well." Aradia told him. "But enough to get rid of these bastards." She pulled the trigger on her right blade again, only to find a similar malfunction. "Damn it all to hell."

Genesis kicked another one away and glanced back at her. "Pick up the Buster Sword, then. We don't have a choice. We're getting over run and they can't make it into the city."

Aradia growled and reached for the sword in front of her. As her fingers wrapped around the hilt and she felt two hands cover her's. Brushing it off, she pulled the sword out of the dirt and moved to stand at Genesis' side as a new wave came.

Blood ran in rivers and blades sung as Genesis and Aradia tore the fiends apart. When they finally stopped coming, Aradia leaned heavily on the Buster Sword, trying to regain her breathing. Now she understood why Angeal was as large as he was. It took a lot to carry and swing a sword this size.

"Are you alright?" Genesis asked, wiping the blood from Rapier.

Aradia nodded as she took a cloth from her coat pocket and set about cleaning the blade in her hand. With the blood went the rust and wear it had amassed over the years. She smiled to herself as she turned and replaced it in the dirt she'd drawn it from. "Thank you, Zack, Angeal, for helping me." She murmured. She could have sworn she heard them laugh.

She turned to Genesis to find him looking over the Fiends they'd slaughtered. She walked over. "What's going on?"

"These Fiends," Genesis said, "They're not normal."

"They could be left over DG Beasts." Aradia murmured. "No, they don't have the suits. What do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Genesis said. "But they're heavily infused with something. These don't look anything like the monsters we faced in Wutai and I know that monsters don't change this much in ten years."

Aradia nodded as her phone went off. "I agree. Something else is affecting them, and it's not the Lifestream or Mako." She answered her phone. "Yeah?"

"_There's been another series of attacks." _It was Carin. "_They're bringing in four adult females._"

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Aradia said, frowning. "Put them in a separate room from the Males, Carin. I don't know why, but I have a hunch that this isn't coincidence."

"_Hurry, Aradia,_" Carin said, "_You and your friends need to find this bitch before she does too much damage._"

"We're doing our best." Aradia told her, hanging up. "I have to get back to town. Carin needs me to look at the new victims that just came in."

Genesis nodded, standing up. "We also need to get your blades looked at." He looked down at the Fiends. "Will they keep until the others can get out here?"

"I'll call Reeve and have him send out a WRO team to collect a few of them for study." Aradia said, pulling out her phone. "None of us have the skill for this."

Genesis watched as she walked a short distance away, talking to someone on the other end of the connection. He looked back down at the Fiend at his feet. There was something off about all of this. Men, women, and children being attacked. Fiends that had been genetically altered but showed no signs of the factions that they knew about. Something about this wasn't adding up.

Cloud claimed that the Lifestream had returned to normal. How did they know that for sure? Something was clearly doing massive damage, and he got the feeling it wasn't just this woman pulling the strings.

He cast his eyes skyward and took in the clouds and warmth from the Sun. What was happening in Edge?

Aradia returned to his side. "There are choppers on their way out to collect a few of them and dispose of the others safely. Come one. I need to get to the building."

Genesis smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. He knew that their relationship was still a little tense, and it would be along time before they were back to the same place they were in Modeoheim ten years ago. For now, however, he was able to be close to her, touch her, and that was enough.

He took them to the roof of the WRO building and they made their way into the lower levels. Why did he get the feeling that Carin was going to be less than pleased to see him?

* * *

"Genesis Rhapsodos, you had better have a damn good explanation for doing what you did." Carin snarled, glaring at him.

Genesis smirked. "I don't see how it's any of your business, Carin."

"It is when I watched that girl completely revert to the girl Reno and Rude picked up in the wasteland." Carin snapped at him. "And that's not even counting the way she came back from Wutai."

Aradia watched in amusement while Genesis received a massive dressing down from Carin. The woman had treated both of them way back when Aradia joined ShinRa, and had been treating Aradia and Shelke's Mako dependency ever since the WRO offered to help them. She only hoped that the older woman wouldn't turn Weiss away when they brought him in in six weeks to get his.

When the woman started threatening bodily harm, Aradia decided it was a good time to step in.

"Carin, as amusing as it would be to watch you and Genesis go three rounds, you called me in for a reason." Aradia reminded her.

Carin stopped mid-threat and turned to face Aradia. "You're right. Follow me. _He_ can stay out here and wait."

Aradia nodded and shot Genesis a look. "Don't move."

He rolled his eyes and watched as the two women walked away from him.

Aradia looked over the women and found them in the same condition as the men, with one new development. The reproductive organs had all but shut down. It wasn't that these woman would never have kids again, but it was as if their bodies' reproductive system had reverted to that of their childhood, waiting to develop for use.

"This makes no sense." Aradia hissed.

"That seems to be the phrase of the day." Carin said. "Nothing about this situation makes sense. We can barely contain the information to stop the inevitable panic, so people all over the city are becoming suspicious of everyone they meet."

"Reeve is going to need to issue a statement." Aradia sighed. "Thanks for letting me know, Carin."

Carin hung her head. "Aradia, we need you to bring in those children. We have to know how this is affecting them, as well. Both adults have the same, and yet different symptoms. We have to know what it's doing to the kids."

"I know, Carin." Aradia said. "Just, give me some time. The entire group is on it, ears to the ground. We should have information here in a few days, if not less. We just need time."

Carin sighed. "Unfortunately, that's the one thing that we don't have."

Aradia nodded. "Call me if there are any changes."

"Of course." Carin said as Aradia made her way out of the room and back out to Genesis.

"Ready to go?" Genesis asked her.

"I'm walking. " Aradia told him. "I need to be able to see what's going on around me."

Genesis nodded. "Alright. What about your blades?"

"I can repair them at home." Aradia told him. "This isn't the first time they've broken on me and Argento taught me how to fix them, no matter what went wrong."

Genesis nodded and they made their way back to the apartment.

It wasn't five blocks later Aradia stopped them.

"What?" Genesis asked.

"Do you hear that?" Aradia asked. She could have sworn she heard a girl crying.

"Not all of us have your Tsviet hearing." Genesis told her.

She glared at him and he quickly shut his mouth. She closed her eyes and filtered out all of the other sounds, except for the one she was looking for. Her eyes snapped open and she made her way towards an alley on the other side of the street, paying no heed to the traffic that she was walking through.

Genesis, stunned, followed after her. "Aradia, are you out of your mind?"

"Shut up for a moment, Genesis." Aradia snapped.

They found the girl at the end of the alley, crying into a doll. Aradia walked over and crouched down. "Are you alright?"

The girl looked up and threw herself into Aradia's arms. "I can't go through this again. Not after losing my brother last time. Not even the pool helped. I can't die from this." She sobbed.

Aradia sat down and pulled the girl into her lap. "What do you mean?"

The girl looked up and held out her arms. Both were covered in black marks.

Tears ran down the girl's cheeks. "I can't go through the stigma again. I just can't."

Aradia looked up at Genesis who was standing a distance away. "What's you're name?"

"Sachi." she said, sniffing.

"Sachi, I need you to answer my questions very carefully." Aradia told her. "Were you attacked by a woman with silver hair?"

Sachi nodded. "I was. She grabbed my arms and shook me, telling me that I needed to come with her if I want to be saved. If I wanted to be part of her family."

"Can you remember anything else about her?" Aradia asked.

Sachi shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get away from her."

Aradia looked at the girl's arms again. "When were you attacked, Sachi?"

"Three days ago." Sachi sobbed. "This started today. I didn't notice it until just a little while ago."

"Three days for children." Aradia murmured. "Instantly for adults." She shook her head. "Sachi, listen to me. This isn't the stigma."

Sachi looked up at her. "It's not?"

"No, it's not." Aradia told her. "But I need you to go with me to the WRO building. I have a friend there that's taking care of all of the people that were attacked by the woman that grabbed you."

"Why?" Sachi asked.

"Because you're the only child we've found that's been attacked." Genesis told her.

Sachi looked up at him with contempt and turned back to Aradia. "Tell me he doesn't mean that."

"I wish I could, Little One." Aradia told her. "But my friend. She'll take care of you. I promise." Aradia reached out and brushed back a lock of the child's hair, feeling oddly maternal. "You're the only one so far that can help us. We don't know what's going on, and you're the only one we've found so far."

Sachi looked between them. "Alright. I'll go." She said. "If you promise to come visit me."

Aradia smiled. "Of course." The two females rose and Sachi took Aradia's hand.

"What's your name?" Sachi asked.

"Aradia." The older woman said. "This is Genesis."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Sachi said with a smile. She looked up at Aradia with worried eyes. "You're certain it's not the Stigma?"

"I'm positive." Aradia told her. "The stigma was created from infected life stream that washed over us after the Meteor Fall. This isn't. We're not sure what it is, but we'll find out. I swear to it."

Sachi nodded. "Alright."

Aradia shared a look with Genesis. If this girl could give them the information they needed to track down and collect this woman, then they might be able to find a cure for all of the people that have been attacked. Aradia simply hoped that the kid could remember something useful. If not, they were back at square one.

* * *

A/n: Hatteress: Do you guys know what's going on? We'd love to hear what your theories are.

Hare: She would, I hate it when people ask about what's coming. *Holds up 'Anti-spoiler' signs*

Hatteress: Hey, I just want theories, I won't actually say who's was right until it happens.

Hare: Fine. I would also like to point out that Sachi is, in fact, Moogle Girl. I couldn't exactly go around calling her Moogle Girl for the story's purposes, so I named her Sachi. Means something along the lines Happiness or Good Fortune or Cute, or something to that effect, the name websites I have are being contradictory.

I would also like to point out my own stupidity. Last chapter or so I realized that I have been Spelling the Hatteress' Name wrong since the beginning of Dark Wings. Go. Figure. Neither one of us caught this. How, I have no idea, but we didn't. I did now, and will from here on out spell it correctly.

Sorry about that, Hatteress.

Hatteress: *shrugs* Its fine, didn't even notice it myself.

Hare: Odd, that. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you all next time, whenever that is.

The Hatteress and her Faithful Hare

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." ~ Robert McCloskey


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